St. Landry democrat., 1887-04-02

hatreds of earth and all the furies Of hell
charged with their bayonets, and then
dare to say again that no one cares for
your soul
A young man might as well go Off from
home and give his father and mother no
animation as to whore he has gone, and,
crossing the seas sitting down in some
foreign country, cold, sick, and hungry,
and lonely, saying:
my father and mother don't care any
thing about me-
Do not care anything about him! Why,
that fathers hair has turned gray since
his son went off He has written to all
the consuls in the foreign ports, asking
about that son. Does not the mother are
anything about hims He has broken her
heart. She has never smiled since he
went away. All day long, and almost all
night, she keeps asking:
where is hes Where can he be-"
He IS the first thought in her prayer and
the last thought in her prayer-the first
thought IN the morning and the last at
night. She says
''Oh God, bring back my boy l must
see him again bef-re die. Where is hes
| must see him again before die
Oh, do not his father and mother care
| for him! You go away from your Heav
emily Father, and you think he does not
care for you because you will not even
read the letters by which he invites you
to come back, while all heaven is waiting,
| and waiting for you to return. A young
! man said to his father:
81 am going off; I will write to you al
| the end OF seven years and tell you where
l am"
Many years have passed along since
that son went away, and for years the
| father has been going to the depot in the
village, on the arrival of every tram, and
| when he hears the whistle in
the distance he is thrilled with excite
| ment, and he waits until all the pas.
| sengers have come out, and then he waits
| until the train has gone clear out Of sight
again. and then he goes home, fastening
back to the next train; AMI he will be at
every train until that son comes back,
unless the son waits until the father be
| dead.
But oh! the greater patience of God.
He has been waiting for you, not seven
years, not nine yea 8, but for some Of you
twenty years, thirty years, forty years,
| fifty years-waiting, calling-waiting,
| calling. until nothing but omnlpotent
| patience could have endured it. Oh, my
| brother! do not take the sentiment of nv
| text as your sentiment. We do care for
| your soul.
One Sabbath night years ago, in my
church in Brooklyn. a young man ap-
| peared at the end of the platform, and he
| said to me:
'Ihave just come off the sea-"
| Isaid:
when did you arrive!n
Said he:
II came into port this afternoon. was
| in great blow off Cape Hatteras this
| last week, and thought that l might as
well go to Heaven as to He'll I thought
| the ship would sink; but, sir, never very
seriously thought about my soul until to-
night
said to him:
"Do you feel that Christ is able and
willing to save vou!"
ooh, yes,' he replied, II do"
'WeIl," 1 said, ''now you are willing tc
come and be saved by Hmm"
II am he said.
''Well, will you now, in the PRAYER we
| are about to offer, give yourself to God for
time and eternity:'
II will,'' he said
Then we knelt in prayer, and after we
had got through praying he toll me that
the great transformation had taken place.
/ could not doubt it. He is on the sea now.
do not know what other port he may
gain or lose, but think he will gain the
harbor of Heaven.
Star Of peace, beam Ger the billow,
Bless the soul that signs for thee
Bless the sailors lonely pillow,
Far, far at sea.
1t was sudden conversion with him that
night Oh, that it might be sudden con-
version with you to-day! GOD can save
you in one moment as we'll as he can in a
century. There are sudden deaths, sud
den calamlties, sudden losses. Why not
sudden deliverances! Gods spirit is
infinite in speed He comes here with
omnipotent power, and he is ready here
and now, lnstantaneously and forever to
save your soul. believe thata multitude
Of you will to-day come to God. 1 feel you
are coming, and you will bring along your
families and your friends with you. They
have heard in Heaven already Of the step
you are about to take. The news has been
cried along the golden streets, and has
rung out from the towers:
"a soul saved! A soul savedr'
But there is some one here to-day who
will reject this gospel. He will stay out of
the kingdom of God himself. He
will keep his family and his friends
out. 1t is a dreadful thing for
man just to plant himself in the
way of life, then keep back his children,
keep back his companion in life, keep
back his business partners-refuse to go
into Heaven himself, and refuse to let
others 60 in.
A young man, at the close of religious
service was asked to decide the matter OF
his souls salvation. He said:
Il will not do it tonight"
Well, the Christian man kept talking
with him, and he SAID:
II insist that tonight you either take
God or re iect him.
"Well," said the young man, elf you
put it that way, will reject him. There
now, the matters settled"
On his way home on horseback, he knew
not that tree had fallen aslant the road,
L L. e.